Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Action Comics #12 - A Review

How is it possible that the best bits of a book called Action Comics have nothing to do with action, much less the action of the main story? Such is the magic of Grant Morrison, whose run on Action Comics has delivered plenty of what the title has promised. But as in so much of his earlier work, it is Morrison's unique ideas that capture the hearts and minds of the readers rather than the standard superheroics.

Case in point: the main thrust of this issue sees Superman attempting to protect Lois Lane's niece from alien abductors and what is apparently the New 52 version of Captain Comet. Little Susie Lane is apparently a NeoSapien - an evolutionary flash-forward with powers atypical of what humanity will eventually evolve into. This may seem like fairly standard stuff for a Superman story but you'd be wrong. Morrison drew great acclaim for playing with the powers of Superman and everything they might encompass during his All Star Superman mini-series and he does much the same here, as Superman finds a way to out-think an enemy he cannot possibly outwit. Morrison also pays tribute to the Superman stories of yesteryear, restoring an old chestnut I don't think has been used since the Silver Age - Superman's infinite capacity for knowledge and ability to read at super-speed.

It is the moments such as these that make Action Comics one of the best books on the market today and the best Superman title to come out of the New 52 revamp. With the precision penciling of Rags Morales backing Grant Morrison's splendid scripts, this is one to keep on your pull list!